After the container house, which is becoming increasingly popular, it’s the container factory that’s making its appearance on the industrial landscape.
Since summer 2017, Nokia and 11 partners have been working on a project for a factory that can be moved at will, installed in a freight container.
An innovative concept which, according to Nokia, should profoundly change the way we produce.
The “Factory in a box” concept
Last February, Nokia presented its Industry 4.0 concept: a freight container equipped with a production line so as to manufacture electronic products wherever the customer wants.
Since summer 2017, the former cell phone leader has put together a full team with 11 industrial companies to develop the “Factory in a box” project.
Each has contributed its own expertise (DHL on transport, Fuji for electronic components…), to make the project as successful as possible.
At the end of November 2017, the first factory container in the history of Industry 4.0 was fitted with a collaborative assembly robot and then installed in an undisclosed location to manufacture small Lego cars.
A first conclusive experiment that gave birth to the era of nomadic industry.
In February, Nokia and its partners went a step further, using this mobile factory to manufacture a complete printed circuit board, including functional testing and assembly.
A second convincing test prompted the 12 manufacturers to present their concept at the Hannover Fair at the end of April.
A factory to move, for what purpose?
Beyond the technological breakthrough represented by the creation of a production line in a container, we can legitimately question the usefulness of such an invention.
If you think about it, there could be a number of purposes:
- Meet “Made in…” product requirements, without having to build a complete factory
- Continue production in the event of a machine breakdown or plant rendered inoperable following a natural disaster
- Respond to a temporary increase in production of a component or product
- Manufacturing according to a country’s specific needs: the container is brought into the country to manufacture the required volume of products, before being moved to another destination.
- Promote rapid product introduction: by moving the factory container to different partners, prototyping can be carried out quickly, as can the necessary tests and corrections.
This “factory in a box” can therefore meet a real demand from industrial companies.
Totally modular, it can even provide a solution for larger companies, since it may be possible to combine as many containers as possible.
There’s no doubt that this innovative concept will find takers and expand rapidly.
